Autism: Fitting the Pieces Together 2026

Dylan Cooper is the Assistant Director of Cross-Systems Initiatives at the Policy and Analytics Center at the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute where their mission is to utilize research methods and innovative analytic strategies to support the development of effective social and health policy. His research centers on supporting autistic individuals across the lifespan as they interface with public systems, with a particular focus on the criminal justice system and health care system. He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, MSEd and Ithaca College, BS.

Jordan M. Hyatt is a professor in the Department of Criminology and Justice Studies, and serves as director of the Center for Public Policy, at Drexel University. Hyatt’s research in corrections and reentry focuses on the evaluation of innovative criminal justice interventions with an emphasis on randomized experiments. Through the program assessments with strong partnerships with practitioners, Hyatt works to develop effective and actionable criminal justice policies. Hyatt’s work is relevant for agencies with policy agendas focused on improving reintegration, public safety, and implementing evidence-based policies.

Sharon Wolff Montanye is Managing Partner at Sweet, Stevens, Katz Williams LLP and has earned a reputation with herclients as a powerful advocate in special education litigation and a knowledgeable and thoughtful advisor. While many of the issues facing school districts or other school entities remain constant, countless other influences shape how those issues must be addressed: federal and state mandates, state funding limitations, academic and technological innovations and expectations for governance all directly impact the ability of public school entities to deliver high quality education. Helping school board directors, superintendents and other administrators understand how to apply the myriad of legal requirements facing them is the core of her practice. Sharon has spoken widely to audiences of educators and attorneys, both in school entities and for such organizations as the Pennsylvania Bar Institute and the Pennsylvania Association of Pupil Service Administrators. Prior to joining the practice of law, she spent nearly a dozen years working in the field of education as a certified teacher, administrator, grant writer, and peer reviewer for both the United States Department of Education and the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Additionally, she has volunteered her time with a number of professional and community organizations, including the New Horizons Montessori School, Aldie Counseling Foundation and The Council for Exceptional Children. She is a graduate of Temple University School of Law (LL.M., Taxation); Temple University School of Law (J.D.); Temple University (M.Ed., summa cum laude); and Arcadia University (B.A.) She is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and before the Eastern and Middle District Courts of the United States District Court.

Lindsay Shea is the Director of the Policy and Analytics Center at the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute, and an Associate Professor. The mission of the Policy and Analytics Center is to utilize innovative analytic strategies to support the development of effective social and health policy in cities, states, and across the U.S. Dr. Shea leads autism-focused projects at the local, state, federal and international levels. Dr. Shea first-authored the Pennsylvania Autism Census Report and her research interests are creating and using an evidence base in forming, evaluating, and implementing social and health policies. Dr. Shea holds a doctoral degree in health policy from the Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health, Department of Health Management and Policy, and a Master’s degree in Social Policy from the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy and Practice.

Ms. Yazno-Bartle is the owner and founder of the Law Office of Liliana Yazno-Bartle, LLC, since May 2024.Before May of 2024, she was a shareholder at Oberman & Yazno-Bartle LLC, where she had been since 1997, concentrating on legal issues of persons with disabilities and their families, education rights, estate planning, guardianship, and testing accommodations. She is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA), Bucks County Bar Association and is an author and frequent lecturer to the Pennsylvania Bar Association, the Lehigh University Special Education Law Conference and various parent groups in Pennsylvania. Ms. Yazno-Bartle served as the President of Pennsylvania Education for All Coalition (PEAC) from 2013 through 2018, a non-profit organization designed to promote inclusion practices in Pennsylvania.Ms. Yazno-Bartle was appointed and served as the chair of the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Legal Services for Exceptional Children Committee from 2016 through 2018 and is a regular course planner for the Pennsylvania Bar Institute’s Autism Conference.Ms. Yazno-Bartle also serves as a volunteer attorney for the Wills for Heroes Foundation, a program devoted to providing free Wills and other estate planning documents for Pennsylvania’s emergency first responders.She received her B.S. with Honors in Economics from Rutgers University, Cook College in 1989 and her J.D. from Villanova University School of Law, where she was president and co-founder of the Latin American Law Students Association.Ms. Yazno-Bartle was born in Colombia, South America and is fluent in Spanish.

Ms. Goldsmith has been serving the needs of children and families in the area of special education for 20 years. Prior to founding Bradley Goldsmith Law, Ms. Goldsmith practiced law at McAndrews Law Offices. During her 19 years at McAndrews Law Offices, Ms. Goldsmith became a Shareholder of the firm and was Supervising Shareholder of the Special Education Department for almost 10 years. Ms. Goldsmith is the Parent Attorney Representative to the Stakeholders Council of the Office for Dispute Resolution and has recently been appointed to the Professional Advisory Board of the Learning Disabilities of America. Ms. Goldsmith frequently speaks at National and State-Wide Special Education Conferences including the LDA, Arthritis Foundation, COPAA and PBI. Ms. Goldsmith offers substantial expertise in the area of Special Education Law and handles a wide variety of special education matters, civil litigation cases and criminal justice issues.

Brooke is the co-chair of the Saxton & Stump Education Group, leading the team alongside attorney Jeffrey Litts. Together, they bring decades of legal and leadership experience to school districts across Pennsylvania. With more than 20 years of experience, Brooke dedicates her practice to counseling, advising, and defending school districts, intermediate units, and educational contractors across central Pennsylvania. Her practice extends to general school law matters (policy, board procedures, pupil concerns, compliance with the Right to Know and Sunshine laws), special education, gifted education, student discipline, special investigations, and civil rights matters (including Title IX). She also supports county-based services for adults with disabilities. Brooke represents education clients and employers before federal, state, and local courts, as well as administrative agencies such as the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Bureau of Special Education, Office for Dispute Resolution, and the U.S. Office for Civil Rights. She has also appeared before the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, among others. In 2025, Brooke joined Saxton & Stump with other attorneys and professionals from longtime York County law firm Stock & Leader. Before joining Saxton & Stump, Brooke was the chair of the School Law Group at Stock & Leader. Brooke is a recognizable and highly sought-after speaker on education law topics, particularly special education, within and outside Pennsylvania. Recognized for her professional achievements, Brooke was named to the Central Penn Business Journal’s “Women of Influence” list in 2020, and its “Forty Under 40” list in 2014. Law and Politics Magazine selected her as a Pennsylvania Rising Star from 2012 to 2020, and The Legal Intelligencer named her a “Lawyer on the Fast Track” in Pennsylvania. Committed to her community, Brooke serves as president of the board of directors for Logos Academy, a private, faith-based K-12 school in York that primarily serves students at or near the federal poverty level.

Leona is Founder and Partner at Law Office of Leona Z. Goldshaw LLC (www.leonagoldshawlaw.com). Prior to founding her firm, Leona worked at Oberman & Yazno-Bartle LLC for six years. She represents students and their families from preschool to college when they face challenges in special education, school discipline, gifted education, test taking, accommodations, bullying, and other education matters in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. She regularly negotiates with school districts to meet students’ needs, often finds creative solutions, and represents students and their parents in due process hearings when necessary. She recently won a groundbreaking case at a due process hearing and at appeal in federal court which directs Pennsylvania Intermediate Units to pay tuition at typical preschools (and provide transportation) when that child’s disability includes needs that must be fulfilled by attendance at a typical preschool. She brings to her practice more than eighteen years of experience pursuing legal excellence for her clients. Prior to practicing education law, she worked at a national law firm where she litigated complex commercial litigation matters in federal and state court. Leona served as a law clerk to the Honorable R. Barclay Surrick of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. She graduated cum laude and Order of the Coif (top ten percent) from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 2004. At Penn Law, Leona was honored to serve as an editor of the University of Pennsylvania Law Review. Prior to attending law school, Leona advocated on behalf of immigrants seeking political asylum and victims of discrimination for six years in Philadelphia and New York for the Anti-Defamation League, the New York Immigration Coalition and other advocacy groups. She continues to represent asylum-seekers on a pro bono basis and brings a passionate devotion to public interest advocacy and social justice to her practice. Leona has three school-aged children and understands the challenges parents face when advocating for their children.